KHAR, March 16: The large-scale destruction of school buildings and continued lack of educational facilities in militancy-hit areas of Bajaur Agency have been pushing a large number of out-of-school children into child labour, officials said.

The officials in government and NGOs have expressed concern over this situation, while local people hold militancy, military operations and lack of educational facilities responsible for the prevailing situation.

According to official data, around 109 schools have been blown up since the spillover of militancy to Bajaur region in 2007.There are 616 government schools in Bajaur, the largest populated tribal agency in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata).

The worst affected areas are Mamond, Nawagai and Salarzai tehsils where most of the schools were destroyed during last few years.

Confirming the destruction of schools in these areas, Abdul Haq, a senior official in education department, Bajaur, said: “The girls schools form the majority of the destroyed schools. Over 50,000 girls have been deprived of their right to get education.”He said that in last couple of years the ratio of deprived school-going children had increased immensely because of bombing of schools.

However, Mr Haq said that lack of funds had been hindering the reconstruction and rehabilitation process of educational institutions. He said that the education department in collaboration with international organisations had launched survey of the affected schools and so far 10 schools were rebuilt in the agency.

According to children and their parents the lack of education facilities was the major cause of increasing child labour.

“I was 6th grade student when our school was destroyed by militants. The incident forced all of my schoolmates to say goodbye to education. Now majority of them are working in various workshops at agency headquarters Khar,” says Ikram Khan of Malagni village in Mamond tehsil, a stronghold of militants.

Akbar Khan, a resident of Charmang area in Nawagi tehsil, said his three children ended their studies due to destruction of their school.

“Like other parents, I want my children to get higher education to serve the nation as doctors and engineers, but unluckily my wish could not be fulfilled. Now all the three are doing hard labour as daily wagers in Lahore,” he said.

Akhtar Khan, 16, of Salarzai tehsil said had the militants not blown up his school, he would have been a college student now. “I still wish to resume my studies, but when I see the demolished building of my school I think it is a dream,” he said.

Like Akhtar, many other children desired to go to schools, but there are no such facilities for them.

Hanifullah Jan, agency coordinator of the Society for Protection of Rights of the Child (Sparc), told Dawn that  child labour had increased manifold during past six years due to lack of educational facilities in the region.

Referring to a survey, he said over 66 per cent of the children were busy in hard works. He said that peace and writ of the state was re-established in the agency, but the government had not taken any concrete steps for the welfare of children.

Local tribal elders, members of peace committees and ulema have condemned the militants and declared destruction of schools by them as totally an un-Islamic act.

Mufti Hanifullah of Khar and Hafiz Abdul Hameed said Islam emphasised getting modern education because a man with no knowledge of the modern world would never be able to attract people towards Islam.

They said that destruction of schools was against the teachings of Islam and the perpetrators were the biggest enemies of the people.

Bajaur Agency political agent Abdul Jabar Shah told Dawn that the government had so far rebuilt 10 school buildings and made several others functional on temporary basis, while work on 20 more schools would be completed within two months.

Meanwhile, parents are hesitant to send their children to schools having no facilties and security system.

“Majority of girl schools are either closed or without staff. In such a situation who will send his daughters to empty buildings,” Malik Fazal Rabi, an elder of Mamond told this correspondent.